Fernando Alonso made his return to Formula 1 official, somewhat surprisingly, around two years ago; all this with a very clear objective in mind: the new technical regulations which provided for more equality between the teams and more action on the track. After the first 11 races, which represent half of those that make up this season, the veteran driver was interviewed on Dutch television NOS about his impressions of these changes.
I expected more equality
“Unfortunately, Formula 1 is still very predictable. It’s all about Red Bull and Ferrari. Only Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz and Sergio Pérez can winadmitted the Asturian, in what is only a simple reflection of what all fans have been able to verify to date.
“I don’t know of any other sport like this. But it’s still too boring, even if it’s an F1 feature. There will always be teams that are faster than others“, Continues the double world champion, about the eternal situation of disparity, which he himself recognizes as characteristic of this sport.
At the same time, the driver with the longest career in F1 history acknowledged the efforts the category has made to increase the spectacle:Grand Prix just got more fun and with these cars you can fight better”, “The final phase at Silverstone was great, although it was mainly because of the safety car. Suddenly I witnessed and saw the vision of the rulers”; continued the Alpine driver, in a search for a balance between the pros and cons of this new era.
Finally, the double world champion completed his assessment by lamenting that the podiums continue to be so exclusive compared to past decades. Something that offers a less rich and varied image of this sport, using the same cliché of the winning trio race after race”Of course I miss the fierce duels on the podium”.
Even if he does not consider that his talent is currently overshadowed: “I feel very comfortable when I can stand out for a moment, like in Canada when I started on the front line with Max. It’s been a positive thing about this season. I can demonstrate things that people no longer expect of me. It’s always been my strength, it makes me proud”. Ultimately, regarding the motivation an athlete of his level feels and with his trajectory in the situation he is going through, Alonso concluded that what keeps him firm is “be a better driver than you were in 2021», in reference to the self-demand and the competition that an athlete establishes with himself.
False promises
Regarding Alonso’s return to F1, and his new objectives in this second stage, it must be remembered that one of the keys that supported this return was the promise of the then Renault team, of a very competitive single-seater to which the French they had devoted their best efforts and their budget, over several seasons before the entry into force of the new rules. This justified a year 2021, with low aspirations where despite everything, we were able to take advantage of Fernando’s masterful performances and the return to the podiums with this magical weekend in Qatar.
However, fears that Alpine’s promises for 2022 will not be delivered have been growing, with declarations and team restructurings that should not have taken place if all went according to plan. Still, Alpine have improved their performance over last year, although the constant problems suffered by the ’14’ car have meant that these advances and the true level at which Fernando finds himself has not been realized.
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